PETS & THEIR PEOPLE: A full house with three cats and a pair of dogs

Sunday

Feb 2, 2014 at 12:01 AMFeb 2, 2014 at 11:54 AM

THE PETS: Lily, border collie mix, 7; Riggs, spaniel mix, 9; Brady, domestic long-haired cat, 3; Fenway, ragdoll mix cat, 18 months; Kai, domestic medium-haired cat, 7 monthsTHE PERSON: Sandra Gittlen of NorthboroughHow did your pets come into your life?All of my pets are rescues. Riggs is a Sato from Puerto Rico by way of Sterling Animal Shelter. I adopted him Mother’s Day weekend the year after I lost my mom. It was honestly love at first sight. While I was traveling a lot for work when I first brought him home, I became a free-lancer shortly thereafter. I was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune condition and went through some rough times, including exhausting treatments. Riggs was the best medicine I could have asked for get through it all.I saw Lily on (Hopkinton's) Baypath Humane Society's website. Something about her picture conveyed energy and enthusiasm and that is exactly what I needed – a happy-go-lucky Duracell-like dog. I started running a few years ago and Lily is a fantastic training partner. In fact, she helped me train for the 2013 Boston Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon last October and now Boston 2014. She is all sunshine and love.I met Brady after I lost my first cat, Maddison. I wanted to get a companion for Maddison’s brother Harley, who was still with me. Initially, I was looking for a kitten at Buddy Dog in Sudbury, but my sister told me to check out a beautiful young cat named Sparrow. The last kitten was adopted while I was there and I spied Sparrow out of the corner of my eye. She really was and is a strikingly gorgeous cat. She had been at the shelter for a year and before that had been in a situation where she didn’t get to socialize with people or other animals. At first, I hesitated because I really thought Harley would do best with a kitten; but after some consideration, I called Buddy Dog and asked if I could adopt Sparrow, now Brady. She was very skittish and still wants to do things on her terms, but she has come out of her shell so much in the past year. I am proud of every confident step she takes, including learning to play with Kai and Fenway.Fenway came in to Baypath one day when I was volunteering. You couldn’t miss her – Starla, as she was called there, was bouncing all over her poor mother, who looked exhausted. Fenway looked like a baby rabbit and I was immediately smitten. I brought her home and she and Brady and Harley became quite a pack. She also loves to rub all over Lily. Good thing I adopted her; turned out her mother, Ragdale, was pregnant with another litter.When Harley passed away in September at the age of 12, I was heartbroken. He, along with Maddison, had been my first pets as adults. They had also been my first introduction to Baypath, as that is where I adopted them from – a twist of fate that has brought me tremendous joy as a volunteer for the past five years. I was at the shelter the week just after he died and we had an orange and white kitten named Rex who looked like Harley and was by himself. I fell madly in love and adopted him. Now named Kai, he is rambunctious, fearless and the perfect fit with his canine and feline siblings.And you have something special planned to benefit Baypath?In addition to volunteering at Baypath, I am once again running the Boston Marathon in April in honor of the shelter. Last year, despite not being able to finish (I was atop Heartbreak Hill when the bombs went off), I raised just over $4,000. This year, I hope to top that because every dollar counts at a small shelter like ours.Please consider donating at http://baypathhumane.givezooks.com/events/sandra-gittlen-running-2014-boston-marathon-for-baypathHow did you choose your pets' names?Riggs is short for Rigatoni. His name at the shelter was Fernando and that is still his middle name. But my niece and I both love pasta, so we went through all the noodle names on the drive home after adopting him and came up with Rigatoni or Riggs.I adopted Lily on Easter Weekend so Sadie Hawkins (her name at Baypath) became Lily. Suits her because she absolutely gorgeous.I am a huge fan of Tom Brady, and despite Sparrow being a girl, I was intent on naming her after my favorite quarterback.Fenway is named after the baseball park, keeping with the sports theme.Kai is Japanese for ocean or recovery. I’ve always loved the name and it fits him considering I adopted him in the wake of my other cat passing away.Three words that best describe your pets are…Riggs: Sensitive, cuddly and cuteLily: Bold, outgoing and funBrady: Courageous, snuggly and beautifulFenway: Gorgeous, silly and playfulKai: Adorable, crazy and hilariousWhat makes them so special?Riggs was my first dog as an adult. I grew up with dogs, but had no idea how different it would be to parent one myself. He put up with a lot of missteps and in return I spoiled him rotten. I adore him and he knows it.Lily is the kind of dog that everyone who is going through a critical illness should have. She gets you out of your own head and out for walks, playtime in the yard and just all-around good times. She is cuddly but also stubborn – typical border collie.Brady has learned to trust people, and that is incredible from a cat who had a rough start and then spent a year in a shelter. Fenway and Kai are constant motion. They are all kitten – tumbling around together and chasing each other all over the house.Any surprising traits or tricks?Riggs loves to lick people on the chin. He will sneak attack my friends and we jokingly call him the Latin Lover.Lily’s the best herder around and she treats the kittens like sheep. She loves to round everyone up with her bum. She also is an attention hog and will boot Riggs and others out of the way to take the spotlight.Both kittens love to hide and then sneak attack.Tell us about the last time you were amazed by something the pets did.Recently, a young neighbor donated toys and treats to the shelter. Despite his normal shyness, Riggs took a cue from Lily and gave her lots of kisses and cuddles as a thank-you.What’s your favorite way to spend the day with your pets?Going for a run with Lily, a cooldown with Riggs, and then plopping down on the couch with Brady to watch the kittens chase each other all over the house.If they could talk, what would they say about you?I think they would say, "No more pets!"Do you have a special pet in your life? If you’d like to have your animal companion featured in "Pets & Their People," please contact Julia Spitz at jspitz@wickedlocal.com.

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